Obama Honors Muslim 9/11 Service

At a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan, President Obama comments on the service of Muslim Americans to their country.

“In one month, we will mark the 10th anniversary of those awful attacks that brought so much pain to our hearts. It will be a time to honor all those that we’ve lost, the families who carry on their legacy, the heroes who rushed to help that day and all who have served to keep us safe during a difficult decade. And tonight, it’s worth remembering that these Americans were of many faiths and backgrounds, including proud and patriotic Muslim Americans.

“Muslim Americans were innocent passengers on those planes, including a young married couple looking forward to the birth of their first child. They were workers in the Twin Towers — Americans by birth and Americans by choice, immigrants who crossed the oceans to give their children a better life. They were cooks and waiters, but also analysts and executives.

“There, in the towers where they worked, they came together for daily prayers and meals at Iftar. They were looking to the future — getting married, sending their kids to college, enjoying a well-deserved retirement. And they were taken from us much too soon. And today, they live on in the love of their families and a nation that will never forget. And tonight, we’re deeply humbled to be joined by some of these 9/11 families, and I would ask them to stand and be recognized, please.”

Full transcript of President Obama’s remarks at Ramadan dinner … Continue Reading

Deadliest Day For US In Decade Long Afghanistan War

The pieces are still being pulled together to figure out what caused a military helicopter to crash in central Afghanistan on Saturday, killing 38 people. Among the dead were U.S. Navy Seals, making it the deadliest day of the decade-long war since it started.

At Camp David on Saturday, President Obama was briefed on the tragedy soon after it happened. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, Adm. Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, Chief of Staff Bill Daley, and national security staff told him the bad news.

Military officials in Afghanistan are not saying much about the crash. Brigadier General Carsten Jacobsen, International Security Assistance Force Spokesperson and Dominic Medley, NATO Civilian Spokesperson in Afghanistan were questioned about the crash but could offer few details since it is under investigation. Click here to watch video of the press conference from Afghanistan. … Continue Reading

Obama:How To Get The Economy Moving Now

President Obama calls on Democrats and Republicans to work together to grow the economy and get Americans back to work.

In his weekly address, he outlines a number of steps Congress can take right now to spur growth and create jobs, including extending tax cuts for working and middle class families, cutting red tape to encourage new businesses to grow and hire, passing trade deals that will support tens of thousands of jobs, and giving our out-of-work construction workers opportunities to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure.

Transcript of President Obama’s weekly address … Continue Reading

Obama: Congressional Inaction To Cost US $1 Billion

President Obama talks about how Congress going home for recess before passing an Federal Aviation Administration bill is going to cost the US $1 Billion. Passengers are still going to have to pay. Airlines will continue to collect the fees to fund the FAA, but the federal government won’t get the money.

Key quote from President Obama:
Here’s what also happens. It turns out that this extension gives the authority to collect fees from airlines. The airlines are still collecting these fees because it’s priced into their tickets, but they’re not turning them over to the federal government, and the federal government stands to lose $200 million a week. That would be a billion dollars at a time when we’re worrying about how we pay for everything from education to Head Start. And we don’t anticipate it’s going to be easy to get that money back. Even though the airlines are collecting it, they’re keeping it.

So this is a lose-lose-lose situation that can be easily solved if Congress gets back into town and does its job. And they don’t even have to come back into town. The House and the Senate could, through a procedural agreement, basically do this through unanimous consent. And they can have the fights that they want to have when they get back. Don’t put the livelihoods of thousands of people at risk. Don’t put projects at risk. And don’t let a billion dollars, at a time when we’re scrambling for every dollar we can, get left on the table because Congress did not act.

Full text of President Obama’s remarks on the FAA bill … Continue Reading

President Obama Signs Debt Ceiling Bill

Statement by the White House Press Secretary

On Tuesday, August 02, 2011, the President signed into law:

S. 365, the “Budget Control Act of 2011,” which provides for authority to increase the public debt limit by between $2.1 trillion and $2.4 trillion; establishes discretionary spending limits for FYs 2012-2021; requires the House and Senate to each vote on passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution; and establishes a congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

Obama’s Next Step On Debt: Tax Rich To Pay Fair Share

President Obama reacts to Congress raising debt ceiling by saying it is just the first step in reducing the deficit.

“This is, however, just the first step. This compromise requires that both parties work together on a larger plan to cut the deficit, which is important for the long-term health of our economy. And since you can’t close the deficit with just spending cuts, we’ll need a balanced approach where everything is on the table. Yes, that means making some adjustments to protect health care programs like Medicare so they’re there for future generations. It also means reforming our tax code so that the wealthiest Americans and biggest corporations pay their fair share. And it means getting rid of taxpayer subsidies to oil and gas companies, and tax loopholes that help billionaires pay a lower tax rate than teachers and nurses.

“I’ve said it before; I will say it again: We can’t balance the budget on the backs of the very people who have borne the biggest brunt of this recession. We can’t make it tougher for young people to go to college, or ask seniors to pay more for health care, or ask scientists to give up on promising medical research because we couldn’t close a tax shelter for the most fortunate among us. Everyone is going to have to chip in. It’s only fair. That’s the principle I’ll be fighting for during the next phase of this process. ”

Debt Agreement Pushes Details On Congressional Commission

Drama over for the moment. Congressional leaders and President Obama have reached an agreement on a plan that will reduce the deficit and avoid default.

The deal still needs the approval of both the House and the Senate.

President Obama says the agreement does not call for asking American millionaires and billionaires to pay “their fair share by giving up tax breaks and special deductions.” However it does not exactly spell out how all the cuts will be made and where the money all the money comes from, leaving those decisions to a congressional commission. The commission’s recommendation will be given an up or down vote in both the House and the Senate, avoiding the delay and blocking tactics a small group of Representatives or Senators can sometimes use to stop legislation.

Transcript of President Obama’s announcement on the debt agreement. … Continue Reading

Obama To Dems & GOP: Time To Compromise

President Obama urges both Republicans and Democrats to take action to avoid defaulting for the first time in our nation’s history. While the two parties are not far apart in their goals, they must resolve their differences quickly so that the United States can continue paying its Social Security checks, veterans’ benefits, and contracts with thousands of American businesses.

President Obama says the time has come to stop endangering the Triple A bond rating of the United States, put aside partisan politics, and behave responsibly to ensure a balanced approach to reducing our nation’s deficit.

Full text of President Obama’s weekly address … Continue Reading

Obama On Debt Ceiling Negotiations

President Obama says the current Republican House bill to raise the debt ceiling does not have the support of the majority of the Senate and will not become law.

He says Democrats and Republicans need to compromise now. He says there are plenty of ways out of this mess, but we’re almost out of time.

Full text of President Obama’s comments on debt ceiling negotiations … Continue Reading

Franken: What Took So Long For Blyleven To Get In Baseball Hall Of Fame?

Senator Al Franken knows about delay. It took about nine months from the time he was elected until he was sworn in as a US Senator. So he has sympathy for former Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven who had to wait 14 years to be voted into the baseball hall of fame.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Franken offered congratulations and some ribbing to the baseball writers who who do the voting on the Hall of Fame and overlooked Blyleven’s storied career for so long. If you watch the video, you’ll see him rib the baseball writers some more about the omission of Twins great Tony Oliva from the Hall of Fame as well.

“To Bert, I offer hearty and well-deserved congratulations,” said Sen. Franken during his speech. “To the rest of the baseball world, I ask this question: what took so long?”

“In the 14 years since he first became eligible for the Hall of Fame, we in Minnesota all assumed that with his rare talent and Hall of Fame numbers, Bert was a shoo-in. And for many of those 14 years, he was considered the best player never to have been inducted.

“I am proud to say, as a Minnesotan and a lifelong Twins fan, that this year Bert Blyleven was officially voted into the Hall of Fame.”

Full text of Senator Franken’s speech congratulating Bert Blyleven … Continue Reading